Watford man in court over 'Russia's Wagner Group membership'

Piotr Daniel Kucharski, of The Glebe, will appear at the Central Criminal Court in London on August 16 charged with professing to be a member of the banned military group between September 15 and October 28, 2023.

The 49-year-old was charged and named following an investigation by the Eastern Region Special Operations Unit (ERSOU), although he denied the allegations at Westminster Magistrates’ Court on July 17.

The Wagner Group is banned by the UK government over fears it acted as a malign proxy military force for Russia. (Image: Wikimedia)

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The Wagner Group is a Russian private military company which was added to the UK government’s list of proscribed organisations in September 2023 amid allegations it had acted as a "malign proxy military force" for the Russian state.

Kucharski will stand trial at the Old Bailey tomorrow. (Image: Newsquest) The group is accused of using “serious violence” against Ukrainian civilians and armed forces to “advance Russia’s political aims”, according to the Home Office guidance.

It is also alleged to have carried out preparatory acts for terrorism and has been implicated by the government in “serious acts of violence” in certain African states.